A BUCK BETWEEN BUDS

•THE SEASON

• THE TOTAL OUTDOORSMAN

• THE WILD CHEF

• ASK PETZAL

• SHOTGUNS

• FISHING

• HUNTING

ELVET CAN MAKE THE antlers of even a midsize buck look huge, and make a true monster seem like a mythical creature—which was exactly the vibe I got a few years ago when my neighbor Dave showed me the first trail-cam picture of a giant 10-pointer in late July. Silhouetted against early-morning fog, the buck looked like he had a live oak draped in Spanish moss rooted on his head. His body so dwarfed the doe standing beside him that